NAPLES, FLORIDA — So many snowbirds, young and old alike, head for the southern borders of the United States during the winter to grab some vitamin D. I recently headed to Naples, Florida, just above the Everglades on the Gulf Coast, primarily to visit friends Bonnie and Steve Crosby.

I had not been there since 2006, when I wrote a Pittsburgh Post-Gazette article about the impressive growth of the arts scene under Myra Janco Daniels in only 25 years and the large Pittsburgh community that had collected there, including the still-active Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra tympanist and now composer/lecturer Stanley Leonard.

While it was relaxing to take a boat ride around the harbor and learn that the largest property belonged to Federated CEO J. Christopher Donahue of Pittsburgh or to saunter atop a camel and feed a giraffe at the tropical zoo, my friends also took me for an update at the Naples Museum of Art, attached at the hip to the all-inclusive Philharmonic Center for the Arts and primarily known for its glass collection by Dale Chihuly (some us may still remember the fascinating Phipps Conservatory exhibit in 2007). It offered the meaningful Painting Women, a scintillating wordplay on an exhibit by and about women, including Mary Cassatt, Georgia O’Keefe and balletic art master Edward Degas.

Admiring Chihuly’s Persian Ceiling

I also was surprised to find Visual Connection: Painting, Sculpture & Photography Inspired by Dance. Artists included Rose Eichenbaum, photojournalist and contributor to Dance Magazine, Mark Haegman, photographer of the Bolshoi Ballet and sculptor Richard MacDonald, best known for his neo-realism, which captures perfect lines and proportions (down to prominent veins and muscular tissue), movements that are unattainable for most dancers and even the flow of a chiffon skirt. His subjects featured Rudolph Nureyev, artists from London’s Royal Ballet (including current star Sergei Polunin) and a new series on Cirque du Soleil. Perhaps inspired by that, his most recent sculptures capture amazing feats of balance. Click on his website for photos.

Richard MacDonald’s “Romeo and Juliet”

At The Phil I was able to attend a performance by Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, but more on that in another post.

Steve has also become quite the connoisseur of dance, a direct result of Bonnie’s career and continuing passion. He brings something else to his talks, though, through his Julliard music training and understanding and is able to formulate a wonderful connection that you can rarely find — seeing the dance through music.

The first talk took place at Naples United Church of Christ and was part of a six-week video lecture series. He had already touched on such delectable pairings as Bach/Neumeier and Stravinsky/Kylian.

I attended a session on contemporary Christian songs, interpreted through Mississippi’s Ballet Magnificat, subject of an extensive article by the Washington Post’s Sarah Kaufman. We all know how dance can inspire and uplift, but this focused on it in a whole new way.

The next day Steve moved to The Phil for the first of a two-session talk on “choreographers that have a keen sense of the music,” which, he admitted, meant “no Merce Cunningham” in this instance. (By the way, he is in good company — The Phil’s Life Long Learning program also includes talks by Merrill Ashley, former principal with the New York City Ballet, and Peggy Lyman Hayes, former principal with Martha Graham.)

Steve covered his own personal choices (and astute they were) — ranging from Tchaikovsky/Petipa’s The Sleeping Beauty (with a particularly eloquent Viviana Durante of the Royal Ballet, who got the loudest round of applause) to Alvin Ailey’s Sinner Man (from Revelations), Brazil’s sleek Grupo Corpo and a tasty Balanchine tidbit, of course (a poignant Mikhail Baryshnikov and Patricia McBride in The Steadfast Tin Soldier). Ah, Mr. b. lived and breathed music, but with his own artistic signature.

Finally we got to lick our lips over a Chaplinesque “food fight” from Jiri Kylian and his wife, Sabine Kupferberg, which has a presence on YouTube. Enjoy…

TO THE LAKE. Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre will make its debut at Chautauqua Institution this summer (Wed., Aug. 21 at 8:15 p.m.), a bit of a surprise since the historic Amphitheater, outdoor performing space, has been the turf of Jean-Pierre Bonnefoux, Patricia McBride and North Carolina Dance Theatre for over 25 years. It’s a company with a decided Balanchine look, a given since the two artistic directors once starred with George Balanchine’s officially “starless” New York City Ballet. So it should provide a tangible style comparison for residents there. If you’re interested in making the drive (a little over two hours from Pittsburgh) up to the picturesque Victorian community and surrounding attractions, check the website for more information.

BACK TO THE MOULIN ROUGE. Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre’s production of Moulin Rouge translated well for all three casts over a weekend of performances (click on Pittsburgh Post-Gazette for an article on opening night). Because the movement phrases often were plucked from familiar classroom exercises, tombe pas de bouree glissade (and substitute your favorite jump) — the dancers could relax and exchange choreographic pleasantries all night long.

That also meant that each audience could peruse different (although never bawdy) takes on the world’s most famous (and infamous) cabaret. Let’s take the Nathalie/Matthew combination first, where there were varying flavors, enough to keep things interesting.

Opening night cast Christine Schwaner and Luca Sbrizzi had an independent clarity and freshness, more in a classical vein, while Friday night’s Alexandra Kochis and Christopher Budzynski, always on top of the technical elements, also connected on an intimate level that helped to sustain the dramatic line.

The Saturday matinee featured a pair of corps members who jumped at the opportunity and did surprisingly well. Caitlin Peabody had plenty of spunk and determination in her first starring role. While hers was a cozy technique, it had a thoughtful, yet piquant quality that suited this role. Her partner, Nicholas Coppula, was detailed in drawing his character as both an art student and a fine romantic lead.

Christine Schwaner as Nathalie

It was hard to pick a favorite between the two Zidlers, Robert Moore’s brooding owner or Nurlan Abougaliev’s more flamboyant villain. Joseph Parr posed no such problem , however — he was cast as Toulouse-Lautrec for all five performances. In fact, choreographer Jorden Morris singled him out at a post-performance soiree downstairs at the Benedum Center, calling him one of the best among 14 casts that he has worked with on the ballet.

Among the women, La Goulue, the iconic redhead from the famed Toulouse-Lautrec poster, was a juicy role. Elysa Hotchkiss had the snap of a whiplash in her deep backbends, while Julia Erickson brought the requisite star quality to dominate the Can-can. Eva Trapp could use her sensuality at full force, something that also played exceptionally well as the tango lead dancer with Alexandre Silva. Elysa showed off her flickering footwork with partner Alejandro Diaz.

Historically speaking, Moulin Rouge was marvelously detailed, including the Top Hats, perhaps a reference to Valentin the Boneless (also partner of La Goulue), but here a chance to give the men a chance to show off their ballet technique.

I am still puzzled, though, by the woman in green, not to be confused with the Green Fairies, although they appeared all together in Matthew’s absinthe-driven hallucination scene. There was a woman who appeared in Toulouse-Lautrec’s art work, but she had only a green cast, most likely from the eerie lighting inside the club. In this production, she seemed to serve as some sort of muse, but the color coordination with Green Fairies, might have indicated something else. To confuse things more, she was played by the dancers (Amanda Cochrane and Garielle Thurlow) who also appeared as Mome Fromage, without any distinction in the program.

By the way, kudos to this increasingly versatile company, who sometimes played three roles or more.

They had to delay the curtain for homeboy Kyle Abraham’s Pavement at the Byham Theater because the box office line was out the door. Of course there was family. But so many friends came, both past and present, that his first dance teacher was in attendance.

The dance community responded mightily as well, with some who don’t attend a performance without good reason. Excitement was high and the company, Abraham.In.Motion, responded well, with an emotional Kyle speaking gratefully from the stage at the end. Read about the performance in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

American Idiot got down to business right from the start as chaos reigned on the Heinz Hall stage…and it virtually never stopped. A rock opera inspired by The Who’s Tommy and based on Green Day’s own album, it was mindful of another Broadway show, Spring Awakening, displaying a stage crowded with paraphernalia, memorabilia, lights and, in keeping with the coming-of-age theme for Idiot’s trio of contemporary teenagers, a bevy of television sets.

But American Idiot slathered on numerous excesses, heading farther afield than the other shows to grab its audiences. The best effects came from the scenic design, with spectacular lighting patterns that constantly played over it.

And there was not one teenager going through a life lesson, but three separate plot lines for best friends Johnny, Will and Tunny, who ached to escape the stifling life of a modest American town.

Johnny and St. Jimmy (Photo: John Daughtry)

The main plot followed Johnny (Alex Nee) to the big city, where he spiraled into sex. drugs and, of course, rock ‘n roll. Tunny (Thomas Hettrick) quickly escaped from the big city, this time into the army. And Will (Casey O’Farrell) never made it out of Smallville, where he remained to take care of his pregnant girlfriend.

To its credit, each life story had its own intrigue, enough to keep audience interest high. Will and Heather (Kennedy Caughell) displayed their whole deteriorating relationship, with friends, baby and all, on a couch. Their lives unfolded in great detail, even as the spotlight centered on his friends.

Tunny went off to war, where he lost a leg and descended into depression, but was saved by The Extraordinary Girl (Jenna Rubah), in both fantasy (a terrific aerial duet) and in real life.

Much of the time was spent with Johnny, who had a fling with Whatsername (Alyssa DiPalma), one of a group of women with more gumption than the soft ending, and wrestled with his devilish alter-ego St. Jimmy (Trent Saunders). Alex Nee had the right combination of wholesomeness, with a dash of complexity, to shoulder the responsibility amid all the action.

Hoggett is known as the “anti-dance choreographer.” He admitted has never been a dancer and thus has no technical training, so the movement comes from a familiar, even commonplace inspiration. In Great Britain there is something called physical theater, a powerful movement that has among its proponents DV8 and Stan Won’t Dance (which brought Sinner, described as a “self-destructive solo for two men” to Pittsburgh in 2006, where it made my Top Ten list).

Hoggett has been making a lot of noise lately, though. Founder of his own physical theater company in Wales called Frantic Assembly in 1994, he made his first big splash in 2009 for Black Watch, a play based on interviews from the famed British regiment and its Iraqi war experience and produced by the National Theatre of Scotland. He and director John Tiffany also collaborated on Once.

He is regarded as a choreographer who makes directorial decisions and his thumbprint was clear in the opening sequence where core cast members confronted the audience with lashing, guitar strumming motions before the rest spilled onto the stage.

Alyssa DiPalma and the Ladies (Photo: John Daughtry)

Hoggett latched onto the high physical audacity of youth throughout, best when the bodies slid down railings and gobbled up the set, less effective when there were synchronized arm movements. The aerial duet was highly unexpected as it escaped the gravity of the earth and Tunny’s hospital gurney.

The question is, will this lead to fewer trained dancers or add to dance’s dimensions in musicals? It took a long time for the term “choreographer” to emerge. Now Hoggett, as well as others, want to eliminate it and substitute everyday moves, albeit with a structured eye.

Speaking of eyes, keep one out for this enterprising movement director. Right now, I would opt for Bill T. Jones, who grabbed his own Tony for the dance rites of passage in Spring Awakening, but has the range to do so much more.

PBT TEASE. Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre will be treading mostly familiar ground during its 2013-14 season, anchoring things with full-length ballets like Swan Lake (Feb. 13-16 with orchestra), Don Quixote (Apr. 11-13 with orchestra)and The Nutcracker (Dec. 6-29), all in the Benedum Center. The season will get an unusual launch, however, with An Evening of Twyla Tharp, although both contemporary pieces, In the Upper Room and Nine Sinatra Songs, previously have been performed here. Nonetheless Twyla’s trademark slouch, coupled with her own musical zest, should give the PBT dancers a spirited send-off into the season (Benedum, Oct. 25-27).

The only new wrinkle so far will come from Julia Adam, who has choreographed for San Francisco Ballet (where she was a principal dancer) and Atlanta Ballet, among others, and is currently Artistic Associate at Ballet Memphis. She brings a cross-cultural fusion of ballet, modern and Israeli folk dance set to traditional Klezmer music in Ketubah, a Pittsburgh premiere that was commissioned by the Houston Ballet in 2004. Set to music by The Best Little Klezmer Band in Texas, it follows a Jewish couple from first glance to wedding night. The work will be part of the annual August Wilson Center program, titled 3×3, along with an encore presentation of Dwight Rhoden’s Smoke ‘n Roses, featuring Pittsburgh songstress Etta Cox. A third choreographer has yet to be determined, but it will definitely be a world premiere (Mar. 7-16).

Subscriptions for 3, 4 or 5-ballet packages can be purchased by calling 412-454-9107 or going online at www.pbt.org. Single tickets go on sale in September 2013.

GIA TEASE. Gia Cacalano returned to her current home away from home, Wood Street Galleries, for an evening-long (and welcome) partnership with Philadelphia dancer Wendell Cooper that served as a preview for a European trip where they would conduct workshops and perform.

It turned out, though, that Mr. Cooper was a skilled videographer, creating a radiating link of light that played constantly during their performances.

Ms. Cacalano began with The Property, a childlike creature (inspired by her daughter’s first beach experience) with whirling legs and an awestruck demeanor. Dressed in a hooded sweatshirt, she tugged at it, but gradually became more daring as the piece progressed, skidding across the floor as she fell.

Mr. Cooper was a “man of one-way tickets and no savings account” in his gender-bending [Bodied]. Cutting wide swathes of movement across the gallery floor, the viewer didn’t know which direction would come next.

Despite their differing approaches to improvisation — she a winsome flower of hidden tensile strength (you could imagine her completing a marathon), he a lush outpouring of muscular movement — they forged a connection on a deep level together in their duet.

Yes, Kyle Abraham is coming homing to a spot on the Pittsburgh Dance Council season, the first time a local company/choreographer has been featured since the Dance Alloy initially broke the PDC barrier in 2002 when the company was under the directorship of Mark Taylor.

It was a calculated risk — Kyle was generating some interest. But the PDC series strikes a delicate dance balance between the edgy and the established. At the time he was scheduled, Kyle had a raw quality. But his learning curve shot upwards in the ensuing year or so, making PDC executive director Paul Organisak look like a dance visionary.

Kyle Abraham is zigzagging around the country these days — Florida, Minnesota, back to Florida(!) — before he returns to his hometown this weekend (see Listings).

But Kyle has barely had time to digest it all the attention. While those in the know are well aware of him, he appreciates the fact that “nobody knows who I am” while he’s on tour. Spoken like a true Pittsburgh native, he retains a certain modesty in face of all the acclaim.

The Pavement project has six men and one women. This one marks his return to classical music (he studied piano and cello). And it focuses on Homewood and the Hill District and the gangs that constructed parallel lives there.

While the company tours Pavement, Kyle focuses on the day-to-day details of building a company — how to replace dancers who move or have children, how to schedule time to pay the bills.

And still have a life.

But not one to sit on his laurels, Kyle has a need to fill his spare time. So he brings the dancers into the studio to work on whatever comes next because “I’m really in love with dance right now.”

Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre seems to have a certifiable hit on its hands with Moulin Rouge, having already scheduled four performances (a rarity these days) and adding a Saturday matinee due to popular demand.

Does this mean that audiences are thirsty for new full-length ballets that have a contemporary relevance? After all, a whole new generation saw the Baz Luhrmann movie with Nicole Kidman and Ewan MacGregor, released in 2001.

Or is it a reaction to the name Moulin Rouge, the famous French nightclub that still carries its own mystique? This is, after all, the only officially sanctioned ballet bearing the name.

Many have tried, but Jorden Morris, choreographer at the Royal Winnipeg Ballet in Canada, is the only one who was chosen. He won over the MR administrators with his knowledge of French music (he happened to study early French choreography with Claude Bessy and Serge Golovine from Paris Opera Ballet). And not only that, but Veronique Allaire-Spitzer, vice president of brand development attended the world premiere in 2009, where she put the final stamp of approval on the production.

Mr. Morris has spent an extraordinarily long time — six weeks — to mount the production at Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre. It’s for a good reason — Royal Winnipeg is going to film the production in high definition and he is using the time to make a few adjustments.

Be forewarned — the plot will be different from the Luhrman movie, which had traces of La Boheme, with Paris’s Bohemian atmosphere and a heroine dying of consumption. This version tells a story of two lovers who meet at the nightclub — Natalie, a rising young star under the watchful eye of manager Charles Zidler and Matthew, a painter newly-arrived in Paris. It develops into a classic love triangle that, along the way, involves painter Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, who immortalized the Moulin Rouge in his work, stars La Goulue and Mome Fromage and, of course, the French Cancan, packed full of high kicks and ruffled skirts, that originated at the heralded nightclub.

Mr. Morris likes to think that his direct connections with the Moulin Rouge have infused his ballet, giving off the aura and even the smell of the historic club. Although the public spaces have been renovated many times, he admittedly became enamored with the backstage, still sporting original wooden staircases and costumes that are still hung high in the rafters, when he visited the site.

Home of Mistinguett in the early years, later visited by the likes of Maurice Chevalier, Frank Sinatra, Mikhail Baryshnikov and Liza Minnelli, this birthplace of the divine “unruly girls” continues to draw audiences to its spectacular shows.